


Secrets Exposed

by lisaof9



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Supercat Week, Tumblr: supercatweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 17:11:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7649422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lisaof9/pseuds/lisaof9
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Canon Divergence AU: Pilot Episode</p><p>Alex Danvers is off to Geneva for a big conference.  Also aboard the plane?  Cat Grant and Cat's erstwhile assistant, Kara Danvers.  When the first engine explodes less than ten minutes into the flight, Kara has the luxury of not revealing her family secret.  Surely, the flight crew can handle a simple emergency landing.</p><p>When the second engine explodes, all bets are off, and Kara has to make a decision: reveal her true identity or let everyone on board--including her sister and her boss--die in a fiery crash.</p><p>Turns out, some decisions are easy.  </p><p>And she's not the only one with secrets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets Exposed

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DiNovia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiNovia/gifts).



> This is for Day 1 of the Tumblr Supercat Week (Canon Divergence). I finished it at 11:12pm last night but my wife, DiNovia, was too tired to beta-read it and get it posted before midnight. She assured me no one would mind. ;)

Kara stood in front of her closet and sighed in frustration. She had nothing to wear, and she was moments away from freaking out. She did the only thing she could think of doing. She grabbed her phone and texted her sister, Alex.

 **‘911! I have NOTHING to wear!’** Kara sent.

 **‘I have to catch a plane in three hours. What’s your point?’** Alex’s response came seconds after Kara had hit the send icon.

Kara grumbled at the phone. She was well aware that her sister was catching a plane in three hours. Alex was a scientist, and she was on her way to Geneva for a world summit on global threats.

 **‘Alex, please?** ’ Kara sent. She knew her sister would do anything for her. Kara had come to live with the Danvers after she had fled her planet, Krypton, just as the planet was consumed in a brutal explosion when its core shattered. Since her arrival, Alex had always been Kara’s rock. Even if she had resented it at first, Alex had grown into Kara’s greatest friend and the young blonde’s hero.

 **‘Fine.’** Alex replied. **‘Open your damn door.’**

Kara squealed and ran through her loft apartment slightly faster than humanly possible. She only used her Kryptonian powers at home, and only on rare occasions. The Danvers’ spent most of Kara’s youth training her to appear normal, boring, and invisible to everyone around her.

“I knew you’d rescue me!” Kara said as she yanked open the door and picked a very grumpy Alex off her feet and spun her around, pushing the door closed with her foot.

“Rules!” Alex exclaimed even as she smiled at her baby sister’s contagious joy. Once she had both feet on the ground, she shook her head and smirked. “Why won’t you let me take you shopping?” She rolled her eyes and motioned at her sister’s casual sundress that might have been okay if not for the hideous pink cardigan she wore over it.

“Eliza is very specific about my camouflage. No bare arms.” Kara blushed and adjusted her glasses, which were designed to decrease the power of her vision. Kara’s adopted father Jeremiah had crafted dozens of pairs for Kara and lined them with lead so she could block out her x-ray vision. He still made them for her whenever she wanted to upgrade to a more fashionable frame.

Alex considered their mother’s restrictions. Their parents had managed to keep Kara’s secret safe, and Kara’s cousin, known throughout the world as Superman, barely contacted Kara because of his fear of outing her as a Kryptonian.

“Fine, but does she have to buy your sweaters from 1940?” Alex asked. She marched around Kara and laughed when she saw the state of her sister’s room. “For someone with ‘nothing to wear,’ you seem to have buried your bed with clothes without much difficulty.”

“I can’t wear any of this. It isn’t fancy enough,” Kara insisted.

Alex crossed her arms and glared at her sister. “It’s work, Kara, not a date.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “I am well aware of that,” Kara insisted. That point was driven home every time Kara found herself staring at her boss, the Queen of All Media, Cat Grant. She desperately wished it were a date. “I still have to be presentable. It’s my job to blend into the background, and if I show up at the world summit dressed like… well, like me, I will stand out.”

 “You don’t have to be completely invisible,” Alex said quietly. She sighed and shoved a particularly fuzzy section of clothing aside and sat on Kara’s bed. “You were always so careful growing up.” Her eyes darkened. “You barely had a life.”

Kara knelt in front of Alex and took both her hands in her own. “I had an amazing life, Alex. I have the best sister, the best family, in the universe. Eliza and Jeremiah have been so amazing. They have given up so much for me. I can’t risk destroying all they sacrificed to keep me safe.” She looked down. “No matter how much it hurts me to stay on the sidelines.”

Alex ran her hand through Kara’s hair and tugged her forward until Kara rested her cheek on Alex’s knees. “Kara, the world gets by just fine without you risking everything.” She gently smoothed Kara’s hair, soothing the younger woman.

“Kal has a great life,” Kara said with a sniffle. “He does so much, saves so many people. I’m a murderer.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed and her hand stilled. “How can you say that?”

Kara lifted her head and leaned back on her heels. “Every day I do nothing, people die. Children are orphaned, and I do nothing. I could stop it.” Her eyes hardened, making her look more like her superhero cousin. “People’s lives are destroyed by loss and yet I stand by, adjusting my glasses, and act like I couldn’t just leap into the air and fly off to save them without breaking a sweat or a nail.”

Alex glanced at her watch and muttered a particularly foul curse under her breath. “We are both going to miss our flight.” She lifted Kara’s chin so their eyes locked. “You are not responsible to keep the world safe, baby sister. No one would expect anyone to give up their life, their freedom, to save the world.”

Kara snorted. “My freedom?” She stood. “Alex, Kal is perfectly free.”

Alex stood and took Kara’s hand. “Superman is free because he has been doing the hero thing for decades. He’s well known and his disappearance would be noticed.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “You watched way too many hours of the X-Files, Alex.” She shook her head. “There are no shadow government conspiracies.” She chuckled as she went back to the pile of clothes that were the least awful. “So, these?” She held up two full length dresses.

“God, no,” Alex said, doing her best to force her expression to remain casual. She hurried past Kara and grabbed a garment bag. “These.”

“Those are yours,” Kara said ruefully. “And they’re about five inches too short.”

“Even better,” Alex said wickedly. “You look amazing in them. Why do you think I never asked for them back?”

“Because you want me fend off as many creepy advances at the bar as you do?” Kara asked innocently.

“Funny,” Alex said in an unamused tone. “Take them.” She glanced at her watch. “I really need to go.”

“I’ll see you on the plane?” Kara asked excitedly.

“Only if _Miss Grant_ isn’t too busy being ‘so amazing and brilliant.’ Because, let’s face it, there’s no way the Queen of All Media is letting her handmaid out of her sight if it means lifting a finger to press the call light for the flight attendant.”

“She’s not that bad,” Kara insisted. She didn’t add that Cat Grant was amazing and brilliant. It was bad enough that Alex teased her about idolizing her boss. Alex would have a stroke if Kara admitted her crush on Cat.

“Fine,” Alex said, letting her sister off the hook. “Pack plenty of snacks so you don’t pass out. The airline isn’t likely to provide five party-sized pizzas for the inflight meal.” She waved at Kara as she went out the front door. “See you soon, Baby D.” She smiled as she closed the door, knowing how much the endearment seemed to bother Kara. They both knew Kara loved being reminded of her place in the Danvers family.

Alex frowned as she took the stairs down from the fourth floor. Kara might think shadow government conspiracies were limited to fiction, but Alex knew better. Alex knew better because she worked for one. Kara thought Alex worked as a researcher in a lab that studied the human genome to find tests for genetic counseling.

In reality, Alex had been recruited while she and Kara had both been at Stanford. Alex walked past a booth at a hiring event for internships. She glanced at it as saw that they studied ‘Evolution Around Us,” and Alex had paused to look at the photos at the back of booth that had a picture of Superman. The caption under it read, “Alien refugee or distant relative?”  Alex had laughed to herself, thinking she knew one alien that was a close relative. When she turned to move on, a tall African American man came out from around the booth and introduced himself as Hank Henshaw. That chance meeting had altered Alex’s entire life.

Hank became a mentor through the last semester at Stanford and then recruited her for the DEO, the Department of Extra-Normal Operations. It wasn’t like Alex had a choice. She realized the DEO was the kind of threat her parents were most afraid of, and by working there, she could keep an eye on them and shape some of their operations.

As Alex texted Hank, who was now her director and partner when they were in field, she sent out a prayer that she never had to reveal her job to Kara. Kara would be devastated by the secret, but keeping Kara in the dark was just another layer of safety Alex was providing.

***

Kara made her way back to the First Class lounge at the airport as quickly as she could without her powers. She smiled at the attendant at the door as she hurried past him. Her eyes found Miss Grant, like they always did, and a smile broke across her features. Cat was sitting at the bar with a glass of scotch in one hand, her phone in the other, and her right foot was bouncing just enough to cause her red Prada pump to dangle away from her heel.

“So nice of you to join me,” Cat said without looking up from her phone. She placed the scotch on the bar and sighed unhappily.

“Everything is on board, Miss Grant.” Kara smiled brightly. “I had the flight crew disinfect your seat three times, and I made sure you’ll have Glenmorangie Pride 1981 as soon as you’re seated.”

Cat’s lip twitched. She clearly wanted to smile, but it wouldn’t fit her image as a heartless media mogul. “Just make sure they don’t sample it. I’m generous, but that does not extend to sharing a $4,200 dollar bottle of Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky.”

Kara continued to smile. “Yes, Miss Grant,” she said as she reached across Cat to pick up the abandoned glass on the bar.

Cat’s eyebrows rose, but she allowed her assistant to invade her space and pick up her substandard scotch. She stared, fascinated and intrigued, as she watched Kara lift the glass almost to her perfect lips, and then Cat’s mouth went dry as Kara closed her eyes and inhaled the aroma of the drink.

Kara’s eyes opened and she glared at the bartender. “What is this?” she asked, her tone polite despite a near murderous glare on her features.

Cat bit her lip to avoid gasping. She was well aware how beautiful her assistant was; she had to remind herself to insult the girl on a daily basis just to avoid devouring the lanky blonde with her eyes. This fierce expression was new, and Cat was unprepared for the effect it had on her.

 The bartender made his way back from the opposite side of the bar and smiled at Kara as if she were a delicious piece of meat placed before him. “What was that, sweetheart?” He wiped his hands, which weren’t even damp, with a crisp white towel and then tossed it across one shoulder in an obviously practiced move to appear nonchalant.

Cat’s eyes narrowed, but Kara had started this little encounter and now Cat wanted to see where it led.

“First, I’m not your sweetheart,” Kara said politely. “And second, I asked what this is.” She held the glass toward him.

“Scotch,” he said and then winked at Kara.

Cat’s eyes swiveled back and forth between the two as the conversation continued. When she looked back to Kara, she almost moaned.

Kara’s smile vanished.  She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled through her nose. Her nostrils flared, but the man behind the bar didn’t notice.

Cat did. ‘Oh, my,’ Cat thought. ‘Sunny Danvers just might be growing some claws.’ She rested an elbow on the back of her bar stool and relaxed, enjoying the show.

“What kind of scotch?” Kara asked pointedly.

The bartender gave Kara an appraising look, obviously finding her lacking, with her Gap skirt and top set and one of her plethora of fuzzy cardigans. “This is a thirty-year-old bottle of Isle of Jura, sweetheart. It’s a bit pricey for you.”

“Miss Grant is accustomed to paying for the best.” Kara’s eyes narrowed. “The problem is, this isn’t Isle of Jura, thirty-year-old or any other age.” She held up a hand when he started to protest. “It’s a fine scotch,” Kara admitted. “In fact, I splurged and bought my sister a bottle for Christmas last year.”

The bartender let out an undignified squeak.

Kara continued. “It’s Highland Park’s twenty-year-old scotch. I’m sure you figured one fine scotch was just as good as any other, but you’re wrong.” She slid the glass toward him. “I’m going to assume you made an _honest_ mistake and poured from the wrong bottle.” She nodded toward the back of the bar where a locked cabinet contained the high-end liquor. “Why don’t you pour Miss Grant a generous double of what she ordered and I won’t have to suggest you were going to pocket the difference in price.”

The bartender looked at Cat.

Cat’s eyes sparkled as she smirked. “I knew it wasn’t what I ordered.” She took the glass and sipped it. “Until my very observant assistant mentioned Highland Park, I couldn’t place the vintage.”

The bartender hurried to the cabinet and brought back the Isle of Jura and poured a glass for Cat.

“Make that two,” Cat said dangerous. “For the inconvenience of making Keira use her talented senses.” Cat caught Kara’s eyes and tilted her head to the empty seat next to her.

As Kara sat, the bartender slid a glass in front of her and then hurried away. “I can’t believe he would serve you that swill,” Kara said under her breath.

“You bought your sister a bottle of that swill,” Cat said with a smile. She tasted her drink and her eyes fluttered closed. She moaned and then whispered. “Now, that is a good scotch.”

“It’s a fine scotch,” Kara said as she blushed to the roots of her hair. “It’s not what you ordered.”

“My hero,” Cat said. She’d meant it to sound sarcastic, but she’d mistakenly allowed a bit too much affection into her tone. “Thank you,” she added quietly.

Kara stared into Cat’s eyes before she realized she was supposed to answer. “You’re welcome,” she said, her voice husky with emotion. “I work too hard to make sure you get the best of everything to let anyone take advantage of you.” She looked down at the floor and shrugged. “I mean, it’s my job.”

Cat tentatively reached out and lifted Kara’s chin. “I knew he gave me the wrong scotch. I was going to have the manager check the cameras.” Her hand lingered against Kara’s soft skin. She knew it was wrong, but Kara had weaseled her way past her defenses and Cat wanted to acknowledge Kara’s actions. “That was very bold of you.” She moved her hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Kara’s ear. “It’s a good look on you.”

Kara tried to swallow, but her mouth was suddenly dry. She nodded and downed the scotch in one go. “Thank you, Miss Grant,” she said with timid smile. She noticed Cat’s widened eyes, and faked a cough. “We’d better go so we aren’t late.”

Cat nodded followed Kara out of the lounge and toward their plane. She wondered, for at least the thousandth time, why Kara Danvers captivated her. She did not have crushes. She did not have inappropriate thoughts about her subordinates, and she certainly did not want to invite her assistant to dinner so she could find out every tiny detail about her life. Except, she did. Kara was a mystery. She claimed to be ordinary yet, clearly, the young woman was extraordinary in every sense of the word.

None of Cat’s previous assistants had lasted more than a few months. Kara had been with her more than two years, and Cat couldn’t imagine her life without the beautiful young woman. Kara made Cat’s world complete. Kara managed Cat’s professional and personal life with such skill, such exquisite skill, that Cat had hours more time at home every night to spend with Carter. And Kara did it all with such grace and kindness, fixing any ruffled feathers Cat left in her wake with an innate kindness that made people not only accept whatever the situation was, but made them feel like it was their idea. Cat had seen hardened journalists, prickly board members, and sniveling employees all treated to Kara’s amazing charm. To a one, they all left smiling, and half of them ended up on Kara’s damned list of Facebook friends.

When Cat came into the First Class section of the plane, she was not surprised to see Kara already removing the airline’s magazine and every other annoying waste of paper from the entire area near Cat’s seat. Cat hated the dog-eared magazines, handled by countless numbers of people and left behind for the next passenger.

“Miss Grant,” Kara said with a bright smile that made the skin around her eyes wrinkle. “They’ll have your drink the second we’re airborne.” Kara waited as Cat took the seat next to the window and then reached overhead and took a small bundle from her own carry-on. “I know you won’t go within ten feet of a public pillow, so I brought this for you.”

Cat felt the corners of her lips rise rebelliously as she saw a pillow like the one she kept tucked away in her office for especially trying days. “If there’s a blanket in there to match, I just might get your name right,” Cat said with playful glint in her green eyes.

Kara blushed and bit her lower lip and then reached up and pulled down a lap-sized silk comforter. “Goose down, of course,” Kara said. As she placed it over Cat’s legs she raised an eyebrow in silent challenge.

Cat pursed her lips and then smirked. “Thank you, Kara,” Cat said. Her voice came out huskier than she’d intended. Her eyes widened when she heard Kara gasp and she noticed a beautiful pink blush move across Kara’s cheeks.

“Any time, Miss Grant,” Kara said. She looked at Cat with such sincerity and there was an earnest quality to her tone. She cleared her throat and reached over Cat’s lap to tuck the edges of the comforter snuggly in place. She leaned further across and found the seat belt and began adjusting it.

Cat felt her heart pound. She was amazed Kara couldn’t hear it. When Kara leaned to reach the seat belt, the young woman’s blouse fell forward and Cat was given a brief glimpse of skin that looked as pale and smooth as cream. She meant to pry her gaze away, but felt like she’d been frozen in place.

“All set,” Kara said as she straightened to stand. “Don’t forget, seat belts on at all times.” She nodded her head as if the matter was closed. “Turbulence can happen without any warning.”

“Yes,” Cat agreed sagely. “I’ve heard there’s been a rash of violent turbulence in airplanes docked at the gates.”

Kara gave her boss and mildly stern look. “It’s my job to keep you safe,” she said with a bit more ferocity than she’d meant. “I mean, because you have an empire to run, and people depend on you and because, well, if anything happened to you what would the world do without you?”

“The world would be just fine,” Cat said with a bitter laugh.

Kara rested her hand on top of Cat’s where it was on the arm of her chair. “No, it wouldn’t,” she said, meeting Cat’s eyes. “You help more people than you know,” she added as she pulled her hand away. “You inspire… us.”

Cat was stunned to silence. She wasn’t used to the feeling. She sighed and then waved her hand toward the back of the First Class cabin. “Shouldn’t you be hugging your sister or trading Pokémon cards with her before we take off?”

Kara’s gaze drifted toward the back of the plane and a smile lit her entire face. “I’ll just say hello and then come right back,” Kara promised. She looked at Cat for a brief instant. “Thank you, for remembering she’s on the flight. I told you that months ago.”

Cat waved her hand dismissively. “I’m sure you’ve mentioned it a dozen times. You can barely stop talking long enough to eat.” She sighed. “It’s a miracle you haven’t choked on one of the foot-long subs you murder at your desk every Wednesday.”

Kara smirked at her boss before walking away with a bit of spring in her step. Miss Grant knew her lunch orders. Kara got a sub from a small local shop every Wednesday. It was called the Velociraptor and was aimed at true carnivores. It had just about every meat the shop served. Kara always had two. One she’d eat as she walked quickly back to work, and the second she ate at her desk. Poor Winn almost had to go home sick one morning when he managed to eat half of the special sandwich.

Alex was settling into her seat in the business section when Kara found her. “Hey!” she said excitedly. She took the bag Alex was using both hands to lift as if it were filled with helium. She used one hand to move a bag to one side and the other to put Alex’s bag safely in place.

“Kara!” Alex said sharply. She yanked her sister closer. “You have to be more careful,” she hissed quietly.

Kara sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m always very careful,” she muttered. “Careful and boring. Yep. That’s me.”

Alex gave Kara’s arm a squeeze. “Thanks,” she added. She knew how difficult it was for Kara to keep her powers hidden. They were a part of her, and denying them wore away at her. “I know staying in the closet is making you stir crazy,” Alex whispered.

Kara’s eyes widened. “I’m not in the closet!” she said with a squeak. “Who told you that? Because if they think that I, well, okay so I do look at her a lot, but seriously? Who doesn’t look at her a lot? Have you seen her?”

“Wow,” Alex said with grin that could only be described as shit-eating. “I was talking about your _family secret_ ,” she said, using air quotes. “So who is this insanely hot woman that has my baby sister crossing over the rainbow?”

“Al-ex,” Kara whined. She closed her eyes and could feel the blush spreading simultaneously up into her hairline and down below the top of her shirt. When she opened her eyes, she saw Alex, looking like it was Christmas morning and she had just gotten everything on every kid’s wish list. “Stop looking at me that way,” Kara begged.

Alex held both hands up in surrender. “Fine, we’ll talk about it after the conference. As soon as we land back in National City next week.”

“You promise?” Kara asked as she moved Alex’s row as a small group moved past her.

Alex snorted. “Hell, no,” she said and then laughed. “As soon as you get a free minute away from her majesty, we are meeting for drinks.”

Kara’s blush seemed to evaporate and was replaced by the color of snow.

“Oh, my god,” Alex said angrily. “Damn it, Kara! No. No. I forbid it.”

“You can’t forbid anything!” Kara whispered in a hiss. Her eyes widened when she noticed her sister’s glare amp up to a level that would do Miss Grant proud. “Alex, nothing is ever going to happen. She doesn’t know I exist. Just let me have my harmless little crush.”

Alex adjusted her seatbelt and then sighed. “Fine,” she said quietly. She shook her head and growled. “Why did you have to work for the Queen of All Media? A crush? Jesus, Kara, you couldn’t have made a worse choice if you’d hired _a team of experts_ to pick the worst for you.”

“I have to get back to Miss Grant,” Kara said stiffly. She spun and hurried past the final stragglers boarding the plane.

***

Twenty minutes into the flight, Alex stared into the darkness outside the plane. She knew she’d been too hard on her sister, but why did it have to be Cat Grant? Alex considered making her way toward the First Class section, knowing she could get past the flight crew with her FBI credentials. They were technically fake, but only because the name of the agency was wrong. All the DEO agents used FBI badges, and they were government sanctioned. No one wanted the public to ever hear the name Department of Extra-Normal Operations. That would open a can of worms big enough to dethrone the next five Presidents.

A flash of light outside the window illuminated the pouring rain. Alex exhaled, realizing that the lightning in the distance was far too low below the plane to be of concern. She tightened her seat belt a bit tighter even as the fasten seat belts light came on with a ding.

Alex looked out the window again. There was no light because they’d left the coast far behind. Alex’s biggest problem now would be keeping Kara unaware of her real job. Kara was with Cat Grant, who was at the summit to look for news. A closed door meeting with the heads of states of the key players in NATO would certainly be a juicy story. The last thing Alex needed was Kara ‘accidentally’ eavesdropping and hearing her big sister brief the heads of state about the very real threat of aliens attacking their cities.

Just as Alex was thinking, ‘this couldn’t possibly get worse,’ she saw a bright red flash and a ball of flame at the end of the wing. At the same time the entire plane lurched toward that side and alarms went off throughout the cabin. Alex prayed it was a flame out, but she already knew that the flames she saw were the result of a contained and shaped charge. Someone had set off a bomb and it had taken out, or rather, taken off, an engine.

“Kara,” Alex whispered and then she spoke to her sister, knowing that Kara could pick out the voice of those she loved in a crowded concert even if whispered. “Do not do anything stupid,” she whispered. “Let the crew handle it.”

***

 “What the hell was that?” Cat said as she felt herself pitched against the wall of the cabin.

“I don’t know,” Kara said, and her voice was strangely calm.

Cat noticed a hand against the wall a few inches from her face. She twisted and realized that the hand was Kara’s. She was dangling awkwardly from her belt, but was managing to keep her weight off of Cat. “Keira, are you alright?” she yelled over the commotion in the cabin.

Kara’s glasses were askew, and with a sharp toss of her head, the glasses clattered away in the awful pitching of the plane. Kara glared at the wall of the cabin and gasped.

Cat watched as Kara’s gasp seemed to trigger some elemental or chemical reaction. She watched Kara’s eyes, wide with fear, suddenly harden and fill with resolve.

“It’s going to be okay, Miss Grant,” Kara said in a voice full of steel and strength.

The plane shuddered and then leveled out with a forceful shift. Most of the passengers were tossed back into their seats like rag dolls, but Cat felt herself wrapped in Kara’s surprisingly strong arms and when Cat found herself sitting level again, the young blonde released her. She missed the warmth of Kara’s arms.

“Stay here,” Kara said in the same commanding tone.

“Stay here?” Cat demanded. “Where the hell else would I go?” She spun to see Kara unbuckling her seat belt even as the plane pitched like it was on a roller coaster. People and belongings were tossed off balance and yet Kara seemed able to stand her ground by gripping two seat backs. “Sit back down,” Cat ordered.

“People need help, Miss Grant,” Kara said solemnly. “And my sister is back there.” She turned and made her way down the passage.

“Kara, if you get injured, I will kill you myself,” Cat yelled. She felt the nose of the plane dip and saw a man rolling across the seat-backs. Cat pulled herself down as small as she could as a man in grey suit tumbled past her, but then he stopped mid-roll.

“I’ve got you,” Kara said and she helped him stand on the unevenly pitched floor.

“My daughter is back there,” he said in rush.

“We’ll find her,” Kara said as she took his hand and pulled him up the steep incline.

‘I must have a head injury,’ Cat thought. ‘Or I’m dreaming.’ That bit of wishful thinking was pushed away as the captain came over the speakers.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we’ve had a flame out of one of our engines,” he said calmly as the plane leveled out again. “We have declared an emergency and are returning National City International Airport. We have three engines on the wings and one in the tail so there’s no need to worry.”

“Seriously?” Cat said as if the man were standing in front of her. She turned and was angry, rather, scared about where Kara might be. “Damn it, Keira,” she muttered.

“I’m right here, Miss Grant,” Kara said with a patented Sunny Danvers smile. “I just needed to help Thomas find his daughter, Ashley. She was in her seat safely buckled in.”

“How can you look so calm?” Cat was not so easily distracted. “Keira, you just pranced up and down this airplane acting like a bucking bronco.”

Kara looked truly confused. “Was I prancing or acting like a bucking bronco? Because those two things are not the same.”

 “I know that,” Cat hissed. “You were prancing and the plane was bucking,” she added angrily. “And you knew what I meant!”

Kara bit her lip and sat next to Cat. “I took gymnastics in high school. I just have good balance?”

“Question or statement, Keira. Pick one.” Cat was terrified, and when she was terrified, she lashed out.

“I have good balance,” Kara said firmly.

“I need a drink.” Cat looked around for any of the flight attendants. Seeing none, she looked back at Kara, who was once again glaring at the damn wall. “Am I suddenly living inside a Hieronymus Bosch painting?” she asked the universe, because she doubted anyone would catch her reference.

“Well, the situation is a bit unusual,” Kara said thoughtfully. “But we’re on a modern plane and, while there is a bit of disarray, it lacks the sixteenth-century whimsical tone.” She smiled brightly.

Cat gaped at Kara.

“Plus, there was no one in the restrooms when we lost altitude, so thankfully, we didn’t have any off-color nudity or bathroom humor…” Kara’s voice trailed off. “I’m thinking that wasn’t exactly your point?”

“No,” Cat said flatly. Not knowing what else to say, Cat deflected. “How is your sister? Is she okay?”

Kara frowned. “She’s… uninjured, but not okay.” She looked at Cat and saw her raised eyebrows, which in Cat-speak meant, ‘explain.’ “She’s kind of… pissed off,” Kara said quietly.

“I think I like your sister,” Cat said with a smirk. “I’m pissed off as well.”

Kara sighed. “The crew did a great job,” Kara said determinedly. “They can’t control these things and it’s not like it’s going to happen again…” Kara’s eyes widened.

 “What?” Cat grasped Kara’s arm and leaned closer.

Kara leaned so her mouth was next to Cat’s ear. “The pilot said we had a flame out, but Cat, the engine is gone.”

Cat’s eyes narrowed. She had been ready to ask how Kara knew that bit of information, but in times of crisis, Cat always trusted her best sources. Kara Danvers was an impeccable source. “Do you think it was…” She pulled Kara closer and whispered, “…a bomb?”

Kara focused on the wall of the plane, letting her x-ray vision find the part of the wing where the engine had come loose. It was shredded from the inside. “Oh, no,” she said, her voice cracking. She turned her focus to the other engine on the damaged wing and shivered. There was a device packed tightly against the bolts holding the engine to the wing.

“Kara?” Cat said gently. She has watched the play of emotions on her beautiful assistant’s face. It was like watching a calm sea being stirred by a growing storm. “What is it?”

“I’ll be right back,” Kara said. She was out of her seat belt and down the aisle before Cat could reply.

***

When Kara returned to Alex, she was on the phone. “How are you even getting a signal?” she asked as she knelt in front of Alex.

Alex waved her hand at Kara much like Cat Grant did every day. “I’m not sure,” she said into the phone. “I’d guess we’re ten minutes out, but this doesn’t smell right.”

“Alex, I need to talk to you, now,” Kara said stubbornly. “Now!”

“Hold on,” Alex said. She covered the phone. “What?”

“There was an explosion on the wing. It was a bomb,” Kara said as quietly as she could.

 “I’ll call you back.” Alex hung up the phone. “Kara, we’ve talked about this.” She took Kara’s hand. “Just because you binge watch every episode of CSI, does not mean you’re a qualified investigator.”

“I used my familial skills,” Kara said through gritted teeth. “And there’s another one. I saw the device,” she added in a whisper.

Alex swallowed. “What kind of device?” she whispered.

Kara’s eyes widened. “The kind with a freaking timer and wires and what looks like C-4.”

Alex rolled her eyes and started to speak, but Kara cut her off.

“So help me, if you bring up binge watching Homeland and my lack of bomb squad qualifications, I will…” Kara balled her hands into fists. “Ah!” she said with a look of complete frustration. She yanked Alex’s belt loose and hoisted her up and over her shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

“Kara!” Alex was furious. “God damn it, Kara, put me down.”

Kara smiled sweetly at the other passengers. “She hit her head. I’m taking her up for some medical treatment.” Then she marched right back to First Class and plopped Alex into the seat next to Cat.

“I am going to kill you,” Alex said. She looked like a cat that had just crawled out of a bathtub that it did not enter voluntarily. “How dare you?” she practically hissed.

Kara buckled Alex into place. “Miss Grant, this is Alex Danvers, my sister.”

 Cat stared at the angry woman next to her.

Kara slapped Alex on the shoulder. “Alex, this is Miss Grant.”

For a brief instant, there was silence, but then Kara twisted her head and narrowed her eyes. She threw herself over Cat and Alex and a loud explosion erupted outside. It was muffled, but the sound was distinctive, and the plane tipped downward as the remaining engines whined as they fought to keep the plane in the air.

“That was C-4,” Cat said over the shouts of the other passengers.

“I told you,” Kara yelled. “Stay together,” she said and then the turned and headed toward the front of the plane. She helped people get back to their seats, grabbed flying luggage that had come loose, and seemed completely unbothered by the plane’s violent movements.

“How the hell is she doing that?” Cat asked. She grabbed Alex’s arm in a grip that was firm and bordering on painful.

“Gymnastics in high school,” Alex yelled over the din.

“We’re losing altitude fast,” Cat said as the plane continued to plummet. She saw Kara at the front of the plane. “Are you kidding me?” she yelled and then turned to Alex. “She’s buckling in the flight crew.”

Alex shook her head and began to whisper. “Kara, don’t you dare do it. Damn it, Kara. No. Please, don’t do this,” she begged as she watched Kara move to the door that was at the lowest part of the plane.

Cat saw Kara and let out a relieved sigh. She smiled as Kara leaned to rest a hand on the door. It looked almost like she was pushing to move away from it, when the door and Kara were ripped from the plane.

The sound of the wind in the plane was deafening. The oxygen masks dropped and Alex put hers on and then grabbed for Cat Grant. What she saw froze Alex in place.

Cat Grant’s face was a study in anguish. Her mouth was open in a primal scream that was drowned out by the rush of wind, or perhaps, it had been pulled out of the plane with Kara. She didn’t even flinch when Alex put the mask over her face; she merely leaned to get a look at the door as if she’d see it was all a mistake and Kara hadn’t been sucked out of the plane thousands of feet from the ground.

Alex took Cat’s hand and squeezed it as the plane seemed to level out. The rush of wind died down as the plane dropped down enough that the pressure equalized. People were screaming, praying, crying, or in stunned silence.

The pilot’s voice came back over the intercom, though he didn’t sound remotely calm. “We are approaching the airport. When we land, make your way to the emergency exits. Remain calm. We are landing under… full power. You can remove the oxygen masks. We are low enough for normal breathing.”

Alex tossed aside the yellow oxygen mask and closed her eyes. Her chest shook. After all she had done to keep Kara safe, a stupid plane had ruined everything. Kara would be exposed and there was nothing Alex could do. She felt tears and didn’t bother to wipe them away. She stared at the back of the seat in front of her as the flight attendants explained the emergency landing procedures. When they were finished, Alex thought about Cat and then closed her eyes. ‘Why did Kara have to fall for her?’ Alex thought irrationally.

“Alex,” Cat said as she leaned closer.

Alex opened her eyes and turned. What she saw shocked her. Cat Grant, the Queen of All Media, the woman who made presidents and dictators squirm, looked broken. “Hey,” Alex said as she gave Cat’s hand a squeeze.

Cat closed her eyes and when she opened them, they were shells, empty of the mischievous light they’d held earlier. “I, I,” she sighed and tried to start again. “I never told Kara. She had the right to know.”

Alex suddenly had a handy target for all the frustration she was feeling. “To know what? That she busted her ass for you every single fucking day and you never once told her she wasn’t useless?”

Cat flinched.

“That she was loyal and kind and sweet and that she would break down the gates of Hell just to get you a quote from some dead tyrant? Because she would!” Alex screamed. She couldn’t do anything about the fact that Kara would now be revealed as a superhero, but Cat Grant was here, and Cat Grant had hurt Kara. “She would have done _anything_ you asked, even if it meant getting hurt,” Alex said, spitting the words out. “You wouldn’t even call her by her _name_!” Alex felt tears wash down her face. “Her name,” she sobbed. “My family adopted Kara when her parents were killed,” Alex said angrily. “She lost _everything_!”

“I’m sorry,” Cat said honestly.

Alex shook her head, not accepting the apology. “Every member of her family is gone. The only thing she has left is the name her parents gave her, and you can’t even let her have that!”

Cat inhaled sharply and covered her mouth with both hands. When she dropped her hands into her lap, Cat spoke. “I never told her how much she meant to me.” Cat stared at her hands, curled now into fists. “That she was amazing and smart, and I pushed her because I saw so much of me in her. I knew if I pushed, she would grow and push right back. I was so afraid that if I let her know just how gifted she was, she would lose the fire.”

“That’s a seriously fucked up education plan,” Alex said darkly.

“That’s not even the worst of it,” Cat admitted. She leaned down and caught Alex’s eyes with her own. “She was special, and so very kind and she saw the best in everyone. Even me.” Cat let out a breath of air. “She made me better. She reminded me that I had a heart.” She shook her head. “And now, she’s gone and I never told her.”

“Ah, man,” Alex whined. “You’re in love with my baby sister?”

Cat laughed bitterly. “Yeah. I’m sure she would have let me down easy and made it seem like it was all her doing and then she’d never tell a soul.”

“You’re an idiot,” Alex said flatly. “You two deserve each other.”

Cat’s eyes narrowed. She was doing relationship math in her head, and the answer she came up with would have been thrilling if she’d found it before the flight they were trying to survive. “She felt the same way?” Cat asked.

Alex nodded.

Cat began breathing hard and she shook her head in disbelief. “I hate this fucking world!” she screamed and then she hammered her fists against the seat in front of her. “Fuck!” she screamed and continued assaulting the chair until Alex grabbed her with surprisingly strong hands and pulled her back.

“Jesus, lady,” the man in front of Cat yelled.

Cat laughed at the impossibility of it all. She laughed at her own stupidity, and at the way fate always held what she wanted most right in front of her only to yank it away at the last second. Fate was Lucy, and Cat was Charlie _fucking_ Brown. That thought made her laugh even more.

Alex had been worried when Cat went Rocky on the seat in front of her, but as she watched the woman dissolve into maniacal laughter she wondered if the almighty Cat Grant had spectacularly cracked. She gingerly placed a hand on Cat’s shoulder. “Miss Grant, um, so, we don’t know for sure that Kara’s, you know, gone.”

Cat looked at Alex and laughed even harder.

“You’re in shock,” Alex said calmly.

The pilot came back over the intercom. “Brace for landing.”

Cat was laughing so hard she could barely lean forward. Once the plane touched the ground, the brakes kicked in and everyone was tossed forward. After a few tense minutes, the plane stopped and the flight crew rushed to deploy the escape slides.

Alex grabbed Cat, yanked her to the exit, and then tossed her down the slide. “I am going to kill you, Kara,” Alex whispered into the night sky, and then she jumped.

There were fire trucks and ambulances everywhere. Two EMTs saw Cat, rushed over to wrap a warm blanket around her, and led her to a nearby ambulance.

Alex was fairly certain she heard the media mogul yell, “Synthetic fiber? Why don’t you just toss me back onto that deathtrap?” Alex made her way away from the commotion, needing to flash her FBI badge only twice. She dialed her phone and when Hank answered, she started barking orders. “I need you here, now. You know that thing you know because you have absolutely no boundaries about privacy? Well, get here now or my life is about to become a crapnado.”

“Crapnado?” Hank said from behind her. “Is that the best you can do?”

“Hank!” Alex rushed to him. “Look we need a cover story,” she whispered as she pulled him aside. She looked into his eyes and sent her half-assed plan to him telepathically.

Hank rolled his eyes. “Are you sure you two aren’t blood related?” He asked with a smile. He saw her confusion and explained. “Your sister had the exact same idea, kind of.”

“What does that even mean?” Alex demanded. She’d suggested that Hank morph into Superman and pretend to have saved the plane and Kara.

“Well, I flew out to see if I was needed to help,” he explained. “And I saw Kara under the wing, flying upside down and keeping the plane steady.”

“And?” Alex demanded. “Not all of us can read minds. Hurry up.”

Hank exhaled slowly. “And Kara was muttering. She said, ‘Of course, Superman is all the way in Metropolis. Of course, my phone flew out the door and into the sea so I can’t call him to come pretend to save me.’ So, I well…”

Alex smiled. “You pretended you were Superman?”

“She wasn’t fooled,” Hank said. “But she accepted my help.”

Alex nearly tackled him in a hug. “Thank you.”

“All part of the job,” he said with a smile. “I dropped her off at the ambulance over there on the tarmac. I insisted she should appear dazed and wait for you to find her.”

Alex squinted until she saw a wild mop of blonde hair in the back of an ambulance. Both EMTs were laughing and smiling. “Yep, that’s Kara.” Alex turned and ran in the direction she’d seen Cat Grant threatening to maim emergency personnel for their lack of quality blankets. She saw Cat huddled in the back of an ambulance and she broke into a run.

Cat was no longer laughing. She stared at the floor as an EMT took her vitals. She heard Alex’s approach and lifted her head.

“Miss Grant, you need to come with me,” Alex said quietly. When she saw the EMT start to protest, Alex flashed her badge.

Cat climbed to her feet and stepped out onto the tarmac. Even after the events of the near crash, Cat had managed to keep her four-inch heels. “I guess I should call you ‘Agent Danvers.’” Cat’s eyes were red from crying and she looked exhausted.

Alex took Cat's hand and tugged her alongside her. “Did you hear why we didn’t crash?”

“Because the universe is a perverse bitch?” Cat hadn’t even bothered to ask. Her journalistic instinct was currently out of order. It was all Cat could do to simply breathe in and out.

“Superman,” Alex said. She was pulled to a stop when Cat’s legs failed her.

Cat’s face went from pale to slightly green. “Why couldn’t he have arrived five minutes sooner?” she asked in a tiny voice. She leaned forward.

“Please don’t throw up,” Alex begged.

“I do not throw up,” Cat said indignantly. “I may, however, elegantly expel unnecessary nourishment.”

Alex rested a hand on Cat’s back. “Miss Grant, one of my agents just told me that Superman rescued someone from the plane.”

Cat stood to her full height. “It’s a damn good thing you’re not a reporter. Never bury the lead.” She spun looking around as if she expected Kara to show up at her side. “Are you sure it’s her?”

Alex pulled Cat toward the distant ambulance. “Blonde, soaked to the core from rain, and she’s making every rescue worker smile.”

Cat’s face lit up as she saw a flash of pink cashmere in the back of a rig not too far away. She sped up and tugged Alex with her. When Alex wouldn’t keep up, Cat let go of her hand and broke into a sprint—a sprint across rain-soaked uneven ground in four-inch heels.

“You are so lucky,” the EMT said as she wrapped another blanket around Kara.

“It was all Superman,” Kara insisted. She reached for her glasses, and frowned. “I just fell. He caught me.” She heard heavy footsteps and expected to see Alex. She turned and saw Cat rushing toward her. “I have to go,” she said and then jumped down from the ambulance rig.

“Kara?” Cat called out. As soon as she saw that it was indeed Kara, Cat’s legs threatened to buckle. She staggered to a stop.

“Cat,” Kara whispered as she reached the older woman. She carefully wrapped her arms around Cat only to receive a fierce hug that would have knocked the breath out of anyone else.

Cat clung to Kara. “I cannot believe how stupid that was,” she whispered. “You could have been killed.”

“I’m sorry,” Kara whispered. She inhaled the scent of Cat and moaned happily.

“If you ever die on me again, I will fire you for real,” Cat said as she felt tears sting the corners of her eyes.

“Duly noted,” Kara whispered. She saw Alex, but didn’t move from Cat’s embrace. She extended her hearing when Alex pointed to her own ear.

“Don’t screw this up,” Alex said quietly. “Your harmless crush admitted she’s in love with you.”

Kara snuggled closer to the smaller woman. “Cat, I was so afraid I’d never see you again.”

Cat nodded and burrowed her nose under Kara’s hair.

“So, um, I kind of have an HR issue.” Kara’s voice was high and a bit strained.

“Seriously?” Cat asked, but she wasn’t about to let go.

“Yeah,” Kara said. “I’m in love with my boss, but I don’t want to work for anyone else and I’m not sure how to handle that issue.”

Cat eased back a fraction of an inch and looked up at Kara. “Well, since she owns the damn company, and she’s in love with you, I think HR will come up with a plan that doesn’t include me needing to go through a dozen new assistants in a month.”

Kara blushed and bit her lip. “So, it would actually be a service to CATCO,” Kara said shyly. “Think of the cost of recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training, and then firing all those assistants.”

“I agree,” Cat said as she caressed Kara’s cheek. “I think it would be irresponsible to do anything else.”

Kara looked down at Cat’s lips, then back to her emerald green eyes. “Can I?”

Cat nodded her head and when their lips met, her legs finally did buckle. She felt her feet leave the ground and Kara’s grip was tender, yet filled with power. When the kiss broke, Cat eyed Kara with a smirk. “There’s not a scratch on you.”

“Well, Superman is pretty great,” Kara said. She leaned down for another kiss. After a several minutes, they broke apart again.

Cat settled her feet back on the ground. She placed one hand on her hip and her eyes sparkled.

Kara swallowed and then relaxed. “So, yeah,” she said quietly.

“Where are your glasses?” Cat asked. When Kara blushed, Cat laughed and pulled the taller woman down for a quick kiss. “You don’t even need them, do you?”

“Actually, I do,” Kara admitted. “But I’ll explain that after I take you home.”

“Are you related to him?” Cat asked as they walked toward the terminal. “Strictly off the record.”

“Yes,” Kara said as she rolled her eyes.

“You don’t live with him, do you?” Cat asked, only half joking. “Because that would be one embarrassing breakfast conversation.”

“No, I don’t live with him,” Kara said and then snorted.

“Good,” Cat said. She saw the gathered press and paused. “They’re going to have a lot of questions.”

Kara pressed her lips to the soft skin just in front of Cat’s ear. “Then I’ll tell them it’s a CATCO exclusive and if they want to know what happened they can read it in the Trib.”

Cat smile widened. “You’re damn right. You are my exclusive.”

“Yes, Miss Grant,” Kara said with mischievous smirk.

“Brazen looks good on you, Kara,” Cat said as she led the way toward the gathered reporters. “It will look better when you’re on me.”

Kara stumbled and nearly fell. “How long do we have to stay?” she asked huskily.

“Long enough to tell them ‘no comment’ and ‘read it in the Tribune.’ Cat added a slight sway to her hips.

“I think ‘no comment’ should suffice,” Kara suggested. “I mean, it’s late and I’m sure we’re both tired…”

“Exhausted,” Cat said as she gave Kara a smoldering look.

“We should get right to bed,” Kara agreed.

“Well, then, chop chop,” Cat said.

“Yes, Miss Grant,” Kara said thickly.


End file.
